Improving Operations to Fight Hunger

Jul 17, 2012

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philabundancedefaultPlayertrueblack/assets/images/partnering-locally/local-markets-3/video-stills/philabundance_082812_878x494.jpg|Philabundance volunteers handing out bags of carrots to a community member|Improving Operations to Fight Hunger ||

V/O(Bill Clark:) The problem that we’re dealing with is a massive problem.

SUPER: Bill Clark, CEO Philabundance

Bill Clark: I mean in Philadelphia alone we’re looking close to nine hundred thousand people that at any one time may be at risk of hunger, and a full third of them are children.

SUPER: Charvel, Client

Charvel: I didn’t have no food stamps, I was unemployed. And I didn’t have no money. And somebody told me about this organization and I came one day and I said, “Oh, my good-“ It, well, I was overwhelmed of the gift of the food that you have, that this company gives.

V/O(Bill Clark): Philabundance is the area’s largest hunger relief organization. At the end of the day, we’re a charity. We are the manifestation of the community’s good will.

Bassam Awadalla: When I first decided to join the Philabundance, I actually started as a volunteer. And saw the impact that Philabundance is making on just the local families in the community. And it was an obvious choice for me to really join the board of the directors. ‘Cause now I’m, in addition to being, to continue to be a volunteer, I’m also a member that’s really impacting the decision-making.

V/O(Bill Clark): Bank of America is, in many ways, the perfect corporate partner. Not only do they support us with funding, expertise…but, they bring teams down every month, to volunteer.

SUPER: Tom Woodward, Market President, Bank of America

Tom Woodward: I think it’s, you know, as leaders, I don’t- it doesn’t matter, you know, what kind of company you work for. As a leader, I just think it’s just really important that you demonstrate your personal commitment. I think that really resonates with your employees.

Charvel: It be hard. It be hard times. For-if I didn’t have this, I’d be lost. I’d be lost without food like this.

V/O(Bill Clark): I really feel blessed to be able to have this job. When I operated my own food company, I never had a six-year-old come up to me and hug me and thank me for the food. Anybody that’s been in this field, I think, feels like I do. It’s the best job in the world.

Bassam Awadalla: We need to support organizations that make a difference. And we feel, very strongly, that Philabundance is a great partner, and they make an impact every single day, to families in our community here.

One out of every eight households in Pennsylvania does not have the resources to put adequate food on the table, a problem only compounded by the economic downturn. In the Delaware Valley region that includes Philadelphia, there are 900,000 people at risk for hunger.

That’s where Philabundance comes in. Established in 1984, Philabundance – the Philadelphia region’s largest food bank and hunger relief organization – works to ensure that families who need it most have access to food. Philabundance and its partners work with the food industry, farms, and manufacturers to provide food for roughly 65,000 people each week.

Philabundance operates two centrally located warehouses and a fleet of 13 trucks, which stay on the road six days a week. But with the tough economy creating additional demand for its services, Philabundance’s impact was constrained by a lack of refrigerated storage space and food sorting equipment.

Bank of America had supported Philabundance since 2005, both through grants and thousands of employee volunteer hours. But in 2011, Bank of America significantly increased its support for Philabundance. Through its Neighborhood Builder program, which provides community organizations with funding and leadership training, Bank of America provided Philabundance with a two-year, $200,000 grant.

“Bank of America’s support through both critical funding and employee volunteer efforts have a tremendous impact on Philabundance’s ability to combat hunger in the Philadelphia region,” said Bill Clark, president and executive director of Philabundance. “In 2011 alone, over 1,000 Bank of America employees have helped sort and pack approximately 15 million pounds of food for almost 500 neighborhoods agencies that serve low-income families in the greater Philadelphia area.”

With the support from Bank of America, Philabundance was able to more than double the warehouse space it kept under refrigeration from less than 3,000 square feet to roughly 6,500 square feet. It was also able to add an automated conveyor system for sorting both produce and meat.

Making efficient use of resources is essential for a food bank like Philabundance to help as many people in need as possible. Astonishingly, more than a quarter of all food in the United States goes to waste. With better storage and sorting ability, Philabundance is able to ensure that more food winds up on the plate instead of in the landfill.

“During these difficult economic times, we know that the challenges facing our communities are significant,” said Tom Woodward, Bank of America Philadelphia market president. “By partnering with great organizations like Philabundance, we are able to address critical issues such as hunger and food insecurity to help create positive change for members of our local community and our economy.”

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